Several varieties of lighting devices having clips for mounting are known. For example, some conventional lighting devices include clips in place of standard bases. Clips can make a lighting device essentially integral with a stationary object. This is useful, for example, when the lighting device is to be mounted on a non-horizontal surface (e.g., a picture frame) or when the lighting device is adjustable into positions that would cause an unclipped lighting device to tip over. In contrast to other mounting systems, clips also typically allow a lighting device to be removed and remounted with relative ease.
One example of a known clip-on lighting device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,177 (Matthews). Mathews describes an articulated task lamp adapted for mounting to a drafting table (abstract). The lamp described in Mathews includes a base portion defining “a clamping zone . . . adapted to receive edge margins of a table top or drawing board” (FIG. 1 and column 3, lines 49-53). A “clamp knob” can be tightened to frictionally grip the edge margins of the table top or drawing board within the clamping zone (column 3, lines 54-57). As another example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0179572 (Schnell 1) describes a small utility light adapted to clip onto the pages of a book to provide light for reading (abstract). As a final example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,813 (Schnell 2) describes a small light removably mounted to a clip member and sized to be attached to a key ring (abstract).